1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates generally to printed circuit board connectors, and more particularly, to connectors for stacking printed circuit boards at a common height.
2. Discussion of the Prior Art
There are several different computer manufacturing companies, and several different standards relating to various configurations and pin counts in the board designs and/or I/Os. One such standard is the so-called xe2x80x9cPC/104xe2x80x9d which gets its name from the popular desktop personal computers initially designed by IBM called the PC, and from the number of pins used to connect the cards together (104). PC/104 cards are much smaller than ISA-bus cards found in PCs and stack together to eliminate the need for a motherboard, backplane, and/or card cage. Power requirements and signal drive are reduced to meet the needs of an embedded system. Because PC/104 is essentially a PC with a different form factor, most of the program development tools used for PCs can be used as a PC/104 system. This reduces the cost of purchasing new tools and also greatly reduces the learning curve for programmers and hardware designers.
PC/104 modules are designed to be stacked instead of using a backplane. There is approximately 0.6xe2x80x3 between each module. Many designers use off-the-shelf modules for the CPU and other common functions, then create their own module to perform a specific task. When stacked together, a custom controller is created with minimal effort.
Conventional PC/104 modules include at least one connector and a plurality of stand-offs. These stand-offs are discrete items and are assembled onto the boards separately from the connectors. In this manner, stacking the conventional PC/104 modules maintains the distance between the stacked modules.
The objects of the invention are to provide an easier system for the user to assemble, and to inventory.
The objects of the invention have been accomplished by providing an electrical connector for interconnecting a plurality of printed circuit boards, where the connector comprises an insulative housing having an upper mating face and a lower printed circuit board receiving face. The housing further comprises terminal receiving cavities extending between the faces, with a plurality of terminals therein, the terminals including a mating contact portion adjacent the mating face, and a printed circuit board contact adjacent the lower printed circuit board receiving face. The insulative housing has at least one integral stand-off member to space two boards to be connected at a pre-determined spacing and to fasten them together.
In the preferred embodiment of the invention, the housing has a plurality of stand-off members. The stand-off members are positioned adjacent to ends of the insulative housing. The insulative housing includes permanent stand-off members and frangible stand-off members, whereby said frangible stand-off members may be removed from the housing and used at corners of interconnected printed circuit boards.
Also preferably, the stand-off member comprises a post extending from the housing, with a fastener member extending through the post. The fastener member comprises a first fastener portion extending above the post, and a second fastener portion extending below the post. The first fastener portion comprises a female threaded portion and the second fastener portion comprises a male fastener portion, the first and second fastener portions having a common thread size.
In yet another embodiment of the invention, an electrical connector for interconnecting a plurality of printed circuit boards comprises an insulative housing having an upper mating face and a lower printed circuit board receiving face and terminal receiving cavities extending between the faces. A plurality of terminals are positioned in the cavities, the terminals including a mating contact portion adjacent the mating face, and a printed circuit board contact adjacent the lower printed circuit board receiving face. The insulative housing has at least one attached stand-off member to space two boards to be connected at a pre-determined spacing, the stand-off member including a first fastener portion extending above the housing and a second fastener portion extending below the housing.
In the preferred embodiment of the invention, the stand-off member is integral with the housing. Also preferably, the housing has a plurality of stand-off members. The stand-off members are positioned adjacent to ends of the insulative housing. The connector housing includes permanent stand-off members and frangible stand-off members, whereby the frangible stand-off members may be removed from the housing and used at corners of interconnected printed circuit boards.
Also preferably, at least one stand-off member comprises a post extending from the housing and the stand-off member further comprises a fastener member extending through the post. The fastener member comprises a first fastener portion extending above the post, and a second fastener portion extending below the post. The first fastener portion comprises a female threaded portion and the second fastener portion comprises a male fastener portion, the first and second fastener portions having a common thread size. The fastener member is fixed in the post, but is vertically displaceable to a position where the second fastener portion extends within the post.